Smashcraaft

This goes out to everyone who thinks string-quality and age are no criterias, when using piezo-pickups! Guess which are the dead strings? Unfortunately the recording with the new strings is a bit detuned :wacko: https://soundcloud.com/sascha-ballweg/variax-600-spank-1-deadstring-vs-elixir

Registered Products says: Variax 600 White / sn 21V6W125070804440This guitar is build excellent. I am really impressed about the quality. Are you able you get information on the amount of instruments build in China?

Oh, that's bad. Are there any reasons for not-supporting the POD HD500x <_<

Hi, I am really ashamed to ask but I´m not able to get Workbench working with my Variax 600 and POD HD500x on Windows 10, 32Bit. There might be some noob questions but I got mine used and informations online and in the forum are really overwhelming. So let´s start from the beginning to get on the way: I have downloaded Workbench 1.75 which seems to be the last possible version for users of the Variax 300/600. The Monkey tells me to update to 2.12 but of course this would be Workbench HD wich will not work for me. As I have read that Workbench was (or is http://www.thomann.de/de/line6_workbench.htm )a product you have to pay for, I am unsure if I will be able to use Workbench without purchasing a licence? On the other hand I am not sure if Workbench (no-HD) will run for me at all, because my 600 is not recognized, if I try to run Workbench on my PC. It tells me to connect to the monkey where I get 2 device-options… POD HD500x via USB Variax 300/600 via POD HD If I choose option 1 there is no Variax in the list, just the latest monkey and the not installed Workbench HD If I chosse option 2 there is neither Workbench nor Variax in the list, just the latest monkey What can I do to fix those issues?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

How can one find out if the frets are made of lead? Are there f.e. any magnetic options for testing?

It's from China. SN was recognized by your system. But it must be a time-traveler, because beside some old strings I can not find any sign of usage. Maybe the chinese copy-cats work with some delay? :ph34r:

Readability improved ;)

You should be able to justify all levels using the system tool "Audio-MIDI-Setup" on your Mac.

Played my new toy loud first time (used but probably never carried around China Variax 600 (no rust, no quirks, no pot crackles). It was absolutely fun to play in every way and it opened my eyes on tonal possibilities when playing different types of guitar and/or PU. So far I was playing just PRS-style guitars, all with active EMG81 to go into one tonal direction and preventing major changes when switching from my (real) custom-made to my backup. But as far as this concept needed for gigging works pretty fine, I was limited a lot, already by the EMG81s. Today I spent an hour on the guitars modeled in the Variax but spent many more on the amp-sims in my POD HD than ever before. It is really amazing how even the outdated 600 let the amp sims come to live and offer tonal differences and "live" I love never had noticed they are in there. Only scratched on the surface I am totally blown away by the possibilities. And by the way ... I read a lot about problems palm muting; no problem here. I just had to reposition my regular palm position a few inch away from the bridge and there it goes chugging. And even this was done in seconds just by a natural trial-and-error behavior I did not even notice by myself. So, if you ask me if the Variax-Series should be continued. Yes it should definitely! To be honest I didn't heard about that stuff before I purchased my HD500x and my band mates didn't too. A few people I know have heard about the concept but not one proved it by himself. And I am really sure, if I will present my damn ol Variax to these guys a minimum of 50 % will go and get one within one year. It is more a matter of a theoretically unsexy concept of performing some "synth" stuff on a holy wooden grail called guitar. Line6 should pay some guys to carry their Variax to open stages and jam sessions and I am sure they would flood the semi-professional market within years. I am definitely buying another one if my gets lost or stolen!

10-52 used here

Good that we worked this out. Hasta la vista!

Wow… good place for parts on the Variax series. Thumbs up!

As you can see, a newer firmare means not automatically a better tone :ph34r: BTW which is the latest FW for the 600 model?

Can anybody tell me about the latest Firmware, which is accessible for the Variax 600? And do you ever watched this Old-School-Tech-Guy doing the palm-mutes for demonstration? (sound-demo starts on 4:50) Does not sound totally bad to my ears, but it is of course not just a special guy, it is a special boomy hizz & fizz '80 sound, too :D Sounds sometimes like he is rubbing his plectron over the strings, while he does palm-muting.

This behavior is reproducible as it has happened some times to me too. I got volume drops when the HD500x is not touched or moved at all and I am able to exclude an accidental touch by a cable. Line6 should offer a firmware-update fixing this problem by a key-lock function as described in this idea. Please vote! http://line6.ideascale.com/a/dtd/KEY-LOCK-FUNCTION/787051-23508

Thank you Nico. But I would keep my advice to turn down to zero, because in the worsest case I better like "no tone" than a earthquake at all levels 11 (gain, bass, treble, presence, amp-volume) :blink:

Users had reported this behavior before and I recognized that my unit is glitchy too if I don't pull all hardware amp-knobs to zero, except the master volume knob.

Are the recording options Helix exclusive or would the POD HD500x work too, connected via the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter?I'm absolutely unsure about the possibilities and specifications of the PODs USB-port :/

Oups... after realizing that my new Relay G10 would (of course) no longer work, Variax lost some of its magic for me :/

Thank you all. I am really overwhelmed by the answers and your efforts to explain things clearly. Did anybody ever tried to record the differences in presence and especially palm muting? And in which special situations do you switch from modeling to magnetics?

Thanks, I will contact GD... and your opinion on Variax as main guitar replacement is?

Would a Apple camera connector work too with a POD HD and apps like GarageBand, Cubasis, ...?

Hi. I never played a Variax but I have a POD HD500x and I am generally interested. Today I watched a YT-Video clip featuring Glenn DeLaune, presenting the Metal Pack and while he was demoing the Panama and Bogner using a Variax (of some kind) he switched to a LP demonstrating the Marshall. Why should he switch guitars when Variax stands for flexibility? Can a Variax really replace ones favourite guitar tone wise if the player likes the neck and feel? Or is a Variax more some kind of compromise, for Top-40 cover band guitarists?